Did Someone Grease the Wheels of Congress after All These Years?

Negotiators could close a deal to extend the payroll tax cut, emergency unemployment benefits and the Medicare reimbursement rate for doctors as soon as tonight, a source with knowledge of discussions said Tuesday.

The source said that lawmakers in both the House and Senate were showing “real signs of progress” on a package that would extend the payroll tax cut without paying for it, a concession House GOP leaders signaled they could back on Monday.

Extending emergency unemployment insurance and the Medicare “doc fix,” which combined cost roughly $50 billion to $60 billion, would be offset elsewhere in the budget.

Another 10 months of the payroll tax cut would cost roughly $100 billion, and all three items are set to expire at the end of the month, unless Congress reaches a deal.